5 Toys You Forgot Were Massively Popular

Those of us who have ever cleaned out a garage or attic have found some relics from our childhood that remind us of what was popular back then. Toys play a massive factor in any trip down memory lane, especially when it comes to the toys that were only popular for a brief period of time.

What were some of the more notable toys that were all over the place seemingly for a week before they vanished? Let’s take a look at five toys you forgot were massively popular (and that you probably owned).

POGs

Nothing says the mid-1990s quite like POGs, but kids had been playing a variation of the game simply called Milk Caps for decades by that point. The game originated in Hawaii and had children dropping a heavier cap onto the lighter ones, keeping any of those which landed face up. The game experienced a huge surge in popularity when there was a branding effort resulting in the release of POGs.

Almost everything that could be licensed was made into a POG, including NFL teams and major motion pictures. POGs became highly collectible, with many hanging onto their collections thinking that some of them would be worth a lot of money. However, POGs proved to be a fad that left almost as quickly as they came. Many millennials still look back fondly on their time spent slamming plastic onto cardboard in their driveways.

Tamagotchi

When you translate Tamagotchi into English, it literally means Egg Watch, but that wasn’t exactly what you got when you had one Tamagotchi could fit right into your pocket and often had a key chain attachment, but instead of telling you the time, there was a digital pet that you had to take care of.

The pet ate, drank, and even used the bathroom, and you had to make sure that all of it was monitored or else there were tragic results. First introduced in Japan in 1996, Tamagotchi became a massive fad around the world and sold tens of millions of units. In Japan, Tamagotchi never really lost steam in terms of popularity, but in most other countries, it only lasted about a year before people started to ignore them.

Razor Scooters

If you’re a millennial or zoomer and have permanent scars on your ankles and shins, the Razor Scooter may have been to blame. These scooters were typically affordable and served their purpose as a means of quicker transportation. While scooters had existed for years prior to the Razor coming out, this brand made them cool to own, and they were a must-have at the start of the millennium.

The original models had foam handles that could spin in all 360 degrees, which made them unique but also made them a bit dangerous. That didn’t matter to kids, though, and they braved their rocky sidewalks and streets on their Razor scooters. While not nearly as popular as they once were, Razor Scooters are still kicking and causing minor injuries around the world.

Skip-It

Razor Scooters weren’t the only thing causing shin injuries by the minute, as the Skip-It had been doing it for years beforehand. The concept was quite simple for the Skip-It, as you put your foot through a loop that ultimately went around your ankle. That hoop was attached with a longer string and ball, and you had to spin it around like a Hula Hoop while skipping over the string.

The original Skip-It became popular in the 1980s, though it was a fad that went away quickly. However, Skip-It had a big comeback in the 1990s thanks to a massive branding effort on children’s television programming and had a second wind. That didn’t last long, either, but there are still some Skip-Its being made. In fact, finding one from its original run can be quite valuable.

Koosh Ball

Many of us think about the late 1990s when it comes to the Koosh Ball thanks to Rosie O’Donnell launching them into the crowd of her popular daytime television show. Koosh Balls date back nearly a decade beyond that, though, as they were invented in 1987 by Scott H. Stillinger. These soft rubber balls were safe to toss around the house (for the most part), making them appealing.

Koosh Balls were used for a bevy of reasons and many different brands wanted on board. A lot of licensed Koosh Balls were made, and they’re still in production today, but they aren’t featured as prominently as part of pop culture. Currently, Koosh is owned by Hasbro and there are plenty of product lines to keep enthusiasts busy.